Car-coupling.



J. KELSO.

CAR GOUPLING.

APPLICATION IILED DBO.10, 1910.

1,002,918. Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

2 SHIEBTSSHBET 2.

EOLUMBIA PLANOGRAP c UNITED STATES PATENT orruon JOSEPH KELSO, OIE PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 MGCONWAY & TORLEY COMPANY, OF PI1TSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLV'ANIA.

CAR-COUPLNG.

T0 all whom it may concam:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH KELSO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, suoh as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the construction of car couplers and is particularly directed to the production of simple and efficient means for preventing the coupler look from aocidentally moving to an unlocked position.

Generally stated, the invention consists in providing the outside of a coupler head with a lug or hook and in formng the adjacent end of the coupler look with an inclined slot which is adapted to receive a transverscly extending actuating member by which the look may be moved to an unlocked position, the actuating member extending into and being movable in the slot in the look and being adapted to occupy a position beneath an overhanging portion of the hook or lug When the parts are in locked position.

In the drawings ohosen for the purpose of illustrating 1ny invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a car coupler and uncoupling lever embodying my invention, a portion of the end sill of a car upon whioh they are mounted being also shown and the coupler and uncoupling lever being in the positions they occupy When the coupler is locked; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the coupler illustrated in Fig. 1, the uncoupling lever being shown in section and the parts being in locked position; Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation corresponding to Fig. 1, portions of the knuckle and uncoupling lever being broken away; Fig. 4 is a detail vievv, partly in side elevation and partly in section, illustrating the operation of the uncoupling lever in moving the coupler look to its unlocked position; Fig. 5 is a detail view oorresponding to Fig. 4, but illustrating the positions assumed by the parts when locking the coupler look against accidental movement to an unlocked position; Fig. 6 is a view in front elevation of a modified Specificaton cf Letters Patent.

Application fi1ed December 10, 1910.

Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

Seral No. 596,691.

form of my invention in which the uncoupling lever is pivotally mounted on the coupler head; Fig. 7 is a detail view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, showing a modified form of my invention in Which the uncoupling lever extends above the coupler instead of beneath it; and Fig. 8 is a front elevatibn of the construction shown in Fig. 7.

Like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur.

I Will now proceed to describe my inven tion more fully, so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

The coupler head 1 and knuckle 2 may be of any suitable construction. In the particular construction illustrated they are shown as designed to coperate with a ver tically movable sliding gravity look xvhioh, in the principal figures of thedrawings, is formed as a member 3 having an integrally attached lifting stem 4 which extends down wardly through the lower .wall of the coupler head. The lifting stem 4, which is of suflicient length to permit the look 3 to be brought to an unlocked position by means of an uncoupling bar or lever extending beneath the coupler head, is provided with an aperture 5 whioh is adapted to receivean actuating member or uncoupling lever 6, the receiving aperture 5 being preferably formed as a slot or eye which is located at the loWer end of the lifting stem 4 and is angular in form. As shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 5, the uncoupling lever 6 rests in the lower end of.the slot 5 when the parts are in normal or looked position, but when, as shown in Fig. 4, the look 3 is being brought to an unlocked position, the uncoupling member or uncoupling lever 6 occupies a position at the upper end of its receiving aperture 5. In passing from its lovvermost to its uppermost position in the slot 5 the uncoupling member or lever 6 passes out from beneath the overhanging portion 7 of the lug 8, being guided from beneath such overhanging portion by the upper inolined wall 5 of the slot 5. If desired, the under or lower face of the over hanging portion 7 may also be inclined, as at 7 so as to be in the same plane With the inclined wall 5 of the slot 5 when the parts are in lockedposition as shown in Fig. 2, said incline 7 thereby likewise serving to guide or direct the uneoupling lever 6 out from beneath the overhanging portion 7 of the"lug 8." 7

For oonvenienoe of repair the lug 8 is preferably formed separate from the;- coupler head and is attached thereto by suitable means,snoh, for example,-as a split key or cottr 9 Which passes througlr the coupler head 1 and through an upwardly extending tang 8 that is formed on the lug member 8'and is' adapted tofit into a oorresponding .sooket formed in the coupler head,as inclicated in'dottedlines in Figs 2 and 3.

For the'purpose of forming a support for the unoupling" lever 6 wliich Will prevent its undu vibration or oscillation when the coupler is looked and the car to which it is clined oi1twardl and upwardly at an angle to the direction of movement of the look to form a ddwnwardly converging entrance to the bight of the hook. The inclined guiding face 10, it W1ll be understoOd, is made of suflicief1tlength to insure its engagement with the downwardly moving unooupling lever at the extreme limit of oscillation of the latter.

Preferably formed upon and integral with the lug member 8 and projecting outwardly therefrom on the side opposite the portion 7 -thereof Whioh ovrhangs the unooupling lever 6 is a stop or abutment 11 Which extends transversly aoross the stem 4: ofthe coupler look in proximity thereto. This stop or abutinent prevents the lower end of the lifting stem 4*froin' moving away from the Overhanging portion 7 of the lug 8 when the look 3 accidentallyattemptsytd move toward its unlooked position, the result being that i1pon suh an acoidental movement the 11hooupling lever 6 isWedged between the overhan'ging portion 7 of the lug a1id the Wall 5 of the receiving aperture 15 of the lifting stem and the unlocking movement of the lock'3 is restrained.

' Inthe construction shoWn in Figs. 1* t0 5", inclusive, the uncoupling lever 6 is mounted upon the car body on a pivot bolt 12 and'is actuated bymeansof an operating lever13 which is also mounted on the pivot bolt 12 and 'extends -beneath the lever 6 'as 7 at :13: 'This is a form ofcoupler release heretofore described. By the application of force in the proper direction to the upper end 14 of the bell-orank lever, the look 3 of t-l1e coupler may be moved to unlocked position, as Will be readily understood. VVith the exceptions noted, the construction illustrated in Fig. 6 is quite the same as that illustra ted in the preceding figures of the drawings.

' Figs: 7 and 8 illustrate the applicabilit; ofmyini ention to a construction in which the uncoupling lever is outside of the coupler and extends"above instead of beneath it. In this form of construction the upper end of the coupler look 16 is provided with a lifting member in the form of a slotted eye 'l7 which'is 'adapted to receive the uncoupling lever 18, said slot being of the same form as the reoeiving aperture 5 in the lowe1 end of the lifting stem and the uncopling member 18 'extending therethrough in the same manner as shown in Figs. '1 to 6, inclusive. The unooupling member 18 may be conveniently fashioned cither in the form of the unooupling lever 6 or the bellorank unoouplinglever 14. Formed upon the outside of the coupler head and projecting upwardly' adjacent to the look opening therein is a lug 19 the upper portion 20 of Which overhahgs theuncoupling member 18 when the latter is in 'its normal position oorresponding to a locked position of the coupler parts; The under face of the overhanging portion 20 of the lug is preferably inclined, as at 20 and so located as to guide the unc0upling member 18 out from beneath the overhtnging portion 20, as heretofore explined of the oorresponding incline 7 Of the lug 8. The upper end of the lug 19 may be, and preferably is, formed with a' face 21 WhiCh is inclined with respect to the direction of movement of the coupler look, sucl1 inclined face serving to directthe uncoupling lever to its pr0per position when the lever'is r eleased after having been operated tomove the coupler look t0 unlooked position.

The construction being substantially such as hereinbef0re pointed out, the operation of the device Will be as follows. Referring to Figs. -1 to 5, inclusive, and assuming the partstoxbe in locked position as shown in Figs. 1,*2 and 3-, the uncoupling lever 6, when oaused to perform an unlocking movementb the lever 13, moves upwardly in the and lug=8, respectively. These guiding faces shift the uncoupling lever 6 transversoly as it continues its nnooupling movement, thus direoting it from beneath the overhanging portion 7 of the lng 8. When the uncou pling lever has moved outwardly from beneath the overhanging portion 7 of the lug 8 it is, as illustrated in Fig. 4, free to execnte the extended unlocking movemont requirod to bring the look 3 to unlocked position. If the coupler is not provided with any so-called look-set devioe for temporarily retaining the coupler look in unlooked position, the unoonpling lever 6 and look 3 return to the looked position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 when the unooupling lever is released and permitted to fall-after having brought the look to an unlocked position,

the unoonpling lover being, if neoessary, direotedto proper position by the inolined face 10 of the lng 8. When the parts are in looked or ooupled position, if the look 3 accidentally attempts to move to unlooked position the nnooupling lever 6 is carried upvvardly by the lifting stem 4 of the look nn til it engages the under face 7 of the over hanging portion 7 of the lng 8, whereupon, as the stem 4 is prevented by the stop or abutment 11 from moving away from the overhanging portion 7 suffioiently far to per mit the uncoupling lever 6 to pass ont from beneath such overhanging portion of the lug 8, the nnlocking movement of the look 3 is arrested. The position of the parts when operating to look the coupler look 3 in looked position is illustrated in Fig. 5.

The operation of the modified forms of my invention illnstrated in Iligs. 6, 7 and 8 is substantially identical With the operation of the devices shown in the principal figures of the drawings.

Having tl1ns described my invention, what I daim and desireto seoure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a car coupler, the combination Wlth a. coupler head, of a knuckle, a vertioally slidable look for said knuokle, a lug upon the under side of said coupler head, and an unooupling lever, said look haVing a stem which extends downwardly outside the conpler head and is provided with an aperture to reoeive the nnooupling lever, and said lug being formed as a hook having an overhanging portion adapted to engage said unooupling lever and having an abutment adapted to engage said stem.-

2. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuokle, a vertically movable look for said knuokle, a 111g upon the under side of said coupler head, and an unooupling lever whioh engages said look and is adapted to engage said 111g,- to retain the look in looked position, said look having a stem which extends downwardly outside the coupler head and is provided with an angular slot in Which the unoou pling lever is movable, and said lug being formed as a hook having an overhanging portion adapted to engage said unooupling lever and having its upper outer face in clined to direct said uncoupling lever to its seat within said hook.

3. In a car coupler, the oombination with a coupler head, of a knuckle, a look for said knuckle having a portion projeoting outside the coupler head, a lug upon the outside of the coupler head, and a pivoted vertically movable unooupling member whioh engages the projecting portion of said look and is adapted to engage said lug t0 retain the look in looked position, the projectingportion of said look being formecl with an angnlar slot through Whioh the nnoonpling member passes and said 111g having an inclinecl portion Which normally extends over said unooupling member to retain the look in looked position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in the presence of two subscribing wit messes.

JOSEPH KELSO. Witnesses J. W. HARTIY, F. D. ECKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents eaeh, by addressing the Commssoner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

